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Art Success: Adelaide Damoah in Conversation with Owusu-Ankomah

I was privileged enough to interview veteran artist Owusu-Ankomah on his thoughts on success and on his up coming London exhibition. The exhibition entitled  Microcron – Kusum (Secret Signs – Hidden Meanings), is on at the October Gallery from the 15th to the 29th October 2011.

I can not remember the time when Owusu-Ankomah’s work first entered my consciousness, but it seems like it has always been there. I have marvelled at his intelligent depiction of the male form and puzzled over his use of symbols, which at first looked to me like depictions of the Adinkra symbols from the Akan printing tradition of Ghana. On closer inspection, they encompass symbolism borrowed from many different cultures. One Adinkra symbol that he referred to indirectly during the interview and which is a recurring theme in his work is “Sankofa.” This literally translates as “go back and fetch it.” Sankofa is very often depicted as a bird with its body facing forward but it’s head is facing backwards. The symbol represents the notion that in order to understand our present, we must first understand our past.
Owusu-Ankomah’s bold paintings have been exhibited worldwide and he has a list of achievements and exhibitions that would make any artist positively glow with pride. However, talking to Owusu-Ankomah, I got the distinct impression that he was not overly concerned with the obvious trappings of success as most of us view it. Owusu-Ankomah is concerned with the progression and development of human kind. He is man who believes that success is about striving for the progression of humanity and that art can help to achieve that aim. Art goes beyond what we can quantify. A deep, intellectual and philosophical man, there was no pretentiousness, no boastfulness or even willingness to take on his many achievements. Only thoughtfulness, humility, modesty and a playful sense of humour.

Owusu-Ankomah. Photo by Dagmar Calais. Image Courtesy October Gallery, London


Adelaide Damoah (AD): You have lived in Germany since 1986, why Germany?


Owusu-Ankomah (OA) : I don’t know. Someone invited me over. A friend of the family. Actually, I wanted to go to London because I like the English language and London so much from being there in 1980. When I was going to go, the friend of the family said “why don’t’ you take a look at Germany, then you can continue on.” Then what happened to me was that (laughing)after a year, I got to know my ex wife, so that is how I got to stay here. I speak fluent German. You have to in order to communicate.

AD: Did you learn German before going?

OA: No Not at all. I had nothing actually to do with Germany. It is only because the first secretary of the German Embassy in those days wanted me to have a show at the Goethe Institute which to my regret, my own fault, never took place.  A German business man bought my art work in Ghana, otherwise, I knew nothing about Germany. I had to go to university to learn the German language. After six months, I gave up as I needed time for my work. So I learned the language through reading, and I got the rudiments, the basics through listening to interviews and talk shows on the television, and you just talk to people on the street.

AD: You mentioned that you sold a painting to a German business man in Ghana. Do you remember when you sold your first painting?

OA: (Laughing) Oh, you ask questions! I was very young I think… I was 21 years old.

AD: You had your first show in 1976 right?

OA: Yes

AD: Did you sell anything at that show?

OA: I did sell a large painting to a Ghanaian doctor.

AD: At what point did you consider yourself to be a full time professional artist?

OA: I decided emphatically to be an artist. I started painting professionally after coming out of the Ghanatta College of Art at 18 years of age. I dedicated my entire life to it. I had my first one man show at 19, that means I started painting professionally at 18.

AD: At that point were you able to make a full time living?

OA: No, not at all! (laughs). I had some support from my parents. It is through my parents that I came to this country. I did not want to. What they did was to pull away every little bit of support, so that I became totally helpless because they thought I could not make a living out of my art. In those days in Ghana, no way, it was virtually impossible without the support of my parents. So this is what they did and they succeeded to get me away from Ghana (laughs).

AD: (Laughing) So, they did that, they pushed you away from Ghana to encourage your career and force you to stand up on your own?

OA: Yes

Owusu-Ankomah, Microcron – Kusum No.4, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 135 X 175 cm. Photo Copyright Joachim Fliegner. 



AD: What does success in the art world mean to you?

OA: Recognition, being taken seriously. You then have a responsibility. This is what I think every successful person should realise. You have a very serious responsibility towards society concerning your ideas. Concerning what you say. I have a great concern for humanity at the moment. Where are we going with our present form of development? Where are we going in the future? My last catalogue was titled Future Track

AD: So as an artist, you are almost taking on this responsibility…

OA: It is automatic, because as an artist, you have taken upon yourself the responsibility to go into the unknown which is our imagination, to bring forth something as a gift for humanity. Because when people look at an art work, it does something to the unconsciousness. So that the artist, automatically, becomes a prophet, he becomes a shaman, he becomes a philosopher. A painter who suggests the way that humanity should go. This is what an artist is. That is why I paint.

AD: That is deep!

OA: (Laughing) Life is deep Adelaide! Life is very deep…

AD: So based on your criteria for success, which is having recognition, being taken seriously and also taking on this responsibility, this huge responsibility onto your shoulders of producing something which is  going to affect the subconscious of humanity, do you consider yourself to be a success?

OA: Well I am trying to be successful, that is it. That is the difference. You see, being successful and being successful in what you do are two different things. Are you successful in transporting your message? How do people receive this message? Do they say “aha, oh my God, I never thought about this.”

AD: So what are you trying to say in your work? Your most recent work, the work that is going to be shown at the October Gallery.

OA: Kusum, is a Ghanaian word, a Twi word. Kusum literally means “a place of mystery.” It is a place where the gods meet. It is a place of ritual. All these places that I’m mentioning are not local. It is in us. It is in our consciousness, that is Kusum in itself. It is in our consciousness that we go on this journey of discovery. But then, life becomes a ritual. All the small things that we do in life are rituals. Saying the right things. Because if you are a shaman, if you are a magician,  then you must have the right mixture of potions, the right mixture of ritual language … So life in itself is a ritual in which we must perform well and perform humbly, in that we respect the other, and love the other. These are so basic, so simple, that it sometimes sounds simplistic, so it might not be taken seriously. If we take these road signs for the future seriously, I tell you, we can change the world! If the politician would handle his duties with respect and with dedication, to bear witness to the truth, like the artist should also do, to know what is good for humanity and for the future of humanity, then it is pouring libation and saying the right words in the daily rituals of life. That for me is also Kusum. But Kusum is also a sub title for my new series of work which is called the Microcron. 

Owusu-Ankomah, Microcron – Kusum No.1, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 135 X 170 cm. Photo Copyright Joachim Fliegner. 



AD: Yes…

OA: The Microcron is a word that I created myself. The Microcron is… As we journey from the microscopic, up to the macroscopic, and now comes another word that I created myself, to the ultramacroscopic worlds. We have solar systems, we have stars, we have galaxies, we have the universe and what is new on the block. Physicists talk about universes. I come and I say OK, there are dimensions of universes. All of these culminate into a ball of light and these balls of light are in systems. Circular systems, circling each other, until these systems reach infinity and that is the Microcron.

AD: OK, so your piece on the October Gallery website- where there are lots of symbols in the background with a male figure, almost like an optical illusion appearing to come out of the piece. How does the viewer interpret that? Someone who does not know anything about the Adinkra symbols or you made up words… How do you want the viewer to interpret that work?

OA: If you look carefully, you will recognise only a few Adinkra symbols. The other symbols have been taken out of other cultures. I use symbols for Crop Circles, wonderful pictograms which can be found in fields all over the world. I have introduced of late Sacred Geometry in my compositions and the Crop Circles are based on this ancient geometrical principle. The figure in that painting has his right hand as if resting on a symbol and at the same time, pointing to these balls of light, the gold and red. That is the symbol of the Microcron. Each circle in the circle contains universes. This is a symbol for me of our togetherness. It is also a symbol of over abundance of life and reality. So we should all sit in a circle and share. Share all we have. Our ideas, our visions and our hopes. That is one thing. But the Adinkra symbols… I am trying to form a universal language. That is why I create my own symbols, I borrow other symbols from other cultures and bring them together. In doing that, I am saying that we are all one. All of humanity, we are one, and you Adelaide, you are humanity. I am humanity. Together, we are humanity. We are all one people. It goes so far that today mystics, and quantum physicists say, if you come to the basic level of reality, consciousness, there is only one human on this planet. Collectively, we are one. So this is what my work is about Adelaide. 



AD: Do you think that if I sit in front of that painting for some time, the meaning will seep into my subconscious  So even if I am not consciously aware of the meaning because I have not spoken to you, I will be able to gain some sort of understanding of the meaning?

OA: Of course. It will impress upon you that this painting has a message. The other thing is, our thoughts are powerful and what I put in there, you can understand subconsciously, even if you consciously think you have not understood anything. But you will have an impression of a positive energy on your consciousness and this I think was your first impression. An aura of positivity. 

AD: So going back to the subject of success…

OA: Art IS success. To constantly have the energy to try to change all that is around you for the better, for me, that is success. To never give up. To have this dream to give yourself and others a positive change.  Because presently Adelaide, WE ARE NOT DOING WELL. The whole world is not doing well. If we kill for oil, then we are not doing well are we?

AD: No

OA: OK. But there is a solution. Why don’t we seek the solution and make the world a better place for us? 

AD: Why don’t we?

OA: Yes, why don’t we? So this is what I am trying to point to. 

Owusu-Ankomah, Thinking the Microcron No.2, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 120 X 140 cm. Photo Copyright Joachim Fliegner. 



AD: Going back to your personal artistic achievements, just going by what I have read, which can only be a small fragment of what you have achieved, obvious things like the Armani Red campaign, the FIFA commission, the numerous exhibitions all around the globe stand out… A lot of people would consider those things to be major achievements.

OA: Of course it is an achievement. But for me, that alone is not true success. True success for me is to have the courage and the ability… Now listen carefully, and the ability to LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY. For me, that is the ultimate true success. That is for me the success story. If you have the ability to love unconditionally, then of course, you have the ability to strive for the prosperity of humanity. So that my art and my success as an artist, goes beyond what we can really positively quantify.

AD: With material goods…

OA: Yes.

AD: What advice would you give an up and coming artist, in light of everything that you have done in the art world? Do you have any specific secrets which explain how you have achieved some of these physical things to date?

OA: I think before a young artist can truly have success, he needs to be truly dedicated to what she or he is doing and have a passion for art. To try to create art by hook or by crook. To dream about it. To work at it. To have a personal style. A personal message. To me, that is the true success in art. To become a true artist, you must have a passion. Forget about all the financial success. That will come later, but you must have a passion for art. 

AD: Do you think that everything you have achieved to date is a result of all of those things and your decision at the age of 19 to completely dedicate yourself to art? Right now, apart from the fact that the world is going crazy,  there are so many artists who are struggling to carve out a career for themselves. You have mentioned having that drive and that passion and the will to produce art by hook or by crook. There are plenty of artists that do that, but they are still struggling to eat on a daily basis. So what do you think is your secret? Because, it is not everybody that is going to make it, even if they do all of the things that you have stated.

OA: OK, I understand now… I think, they should not be afraid. They should not be afraid and I will come to that fear later. They should have the preparedness. They should be prepared to expire out of this world like Van Gogh or like Picasso. There is the middle way, but I will go to the extremes. They should accept it. Die like Van Gogh or die like Picasso. But the most important thing is that I think there is a possibility to overcome a fear. This possibility lies, I always come back to this, lies with the ability to strive for perfection. Perfection in their art, as they are able to create and perfection as they strive to love the other. That is the only secret. That is the path that I have gone on, that I have walked, I am always trying to.

AD: Do you think your willingness to strive for perfection and your willingness to love the other as you say are the reasons why perhaps you have got to this place and there are many others that have not?

OA: Perhaps, I don’t know. I remember a colleague once telling me, “most of us, we force our way to get attention, but you seem not to at all. What is your secret?” What I said was that I just “let be.” I trust, I  try to eschew fear, I let things happen. I allow. Someone was telling me that there is a basic law of acceptance. Allow. Let it be. Do your best and the rest will follow. 

Owusu-Ankomah, Microcron – Kusum No.3, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 135 X 170 cm. Photo Copyright Joachim Fliegner. 



Wise words from a wise man. Owusu-Ankomah’s work will be on show at the following galleries over the coming months:
Further reading:

Special thanks to Sophia Jackson of Lime Magazine for giving me the opportunity to interview Mr Owusu–Ankomah. An abridged version of the interview can be found on page 11 of the September edition of Lime Magazine which can be found here.


Thanks to Alana of October Gallery and of course special thanks to Owusu-Ankomah for taking the time to do the interview.






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